Improvement in flax-brakes



uae-12 ATENT OFFICE.

MASA BRANCH SOUTHWICK, OF MONT ST. HILLAIRE, CANADA.

IMPROVEMENT IN FLAX-BRAKES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 117,342, dated July 25, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MAsA BRANcH SOUTH- WrcK, of Mont St. Hillaire, Province of Quebec, Canada, have invented new and useful Improvements in Flax-Brakes; and I do hereby declare that the following' is a full, clear, and exact deof the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

In this instance I have represented a pair of rollers, A, having long cog-teeth B extending from end to end and meshing into eachother, between which rollers the flax is to be fed in the ordinary Way, to be broken between the teeth. In these teeth I have provided the serrations or grooves a on the surfaces of the cogs, and the bottoms of the grooves, running parallel with them, for adapting the said surfaces to break the iiax more rapidly and efficiently, which I find in practice to be the case. But I propose also to apply serrated, denticulated, or any form of indented surfaces on all forms of uted or cogged rollers, or to even-faced rollers or cylinders, or on any other devices used or to be used, either by hand or by motive power, for breaking the straw of flax or straw of other fibrous material,

to separate it or facilitate its separation from the flax or other fiber, as the case may be, or to prepare iiax for npholstering purposes.

In making the serrated surfaces I form lengthwise ofthe rollers, on the cogs and grooves, from eight to twelve (more or less) angular-pointed teeth to the inch surface of the grooves of the dax-brake rollers, or to cylinders, or to other devices for breaking' the straw of flax, tc. rlhe grooves between the angular-pointed teeth I make from one-twelfth to one-sixteenth inch in depth, but they may be made of a greater or lesser depth, as may be desired. When a pair of rollers is in working position the upper rollercog should work near the bottom of the groove of the lower one, but should not rest on it, as when the rollers are to be operated as without the serrated surfaces. The first pair of serrated rollers, between which the flax is made to pass, (when more than one pair is used,) may have coarser or a less number of teeth to the inch surface than the second pair.

4I do not claim as my invention serrated sur- -faces of rollers or other devices whose teeth,

when used for breaking the straw of dax, Snc., mesh into the grooves of other and similar serrated surfaces, as I am aware that such have been in public use, but

What I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- 4 The rolls A A, having rigid cogs B with angular denticulated surfaces, combined as described, for the purpose specified.

MASA BRANCH SCUTHWICK. Witnesses:

FRs. LAHArsE, FELIX LArrArs. 

